Krunoslav "Kićo" Slabinac (28 March 1944 – 13 November 2020) was a Croatian pop singer. His specialties were the songs nowadays inspired by folk music of
Slavonia
Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
region of Croatia, and the uses of traditional instruments such as the
tamburica
Tamburica ( or ) or tamboura ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", tamburica, тамбурица, little tamboura; hu, tambura; el, Ταμπουράς, Tampourás; sometimes written tamburrizza or tamburitza), refers to a family of long-necked lute ...
.
In the 1960s Slabinac was a member of several rock'n'roll bands. He then opted for a solo career as a pop singer and moved to Zagreb. While performing in a club, he was noticed by
Nikica Kalogjera who gave him a chance to appear as a newcomer at the 1969
Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals.
Since its ...
. A year later, in 1970, Slabinac won the first prize at the Opatija Festival. He represented
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1971
The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the 16th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana. Organised by the European Br ...
with "
Tvoj dječak je tužan", placing 14th.
Slabinac's song "Zbog jedne divne crne žene" was a huge hit which solidified his status as a singer. However, in the 1970s, legal troubles and time spent abroad set back his career. After his return from the United States, Slabinac focused on folk music, although he remained active in the pop music scene.
His song "Letaj mi" became an evergreen in
Macedonia, particularly because it was sung in
Macedonian on the festival "
MakFest MakFest ( mk, МакФест) founded in 1986, is the largest festival of Macedonian popular music. It is held every year in November, in Štip, Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before Febr ...
" in 1989.
He died on 13 November 2020 in Zagreb, following a long and complicated illness.
Discography
* 1971 – ''Tvoj dječak je tužan''
* 1975 – ''Hej bećari''
* 1978 – ''Pusti noćas svoje kose''
* 1979 – ''Seoska sam lola''
* 1984 – ''Krunoslav Slabinac''
* 1984 – ''Christmas with Kićo''
* 1985 – ''Stani suzo''
* 1986 – ''Da l' se sjećaš''
* 1987 – ''Oj, garava, garava''
* 1988 – ''Tiho, tiho uspomeno''
* 1991 – ''Za tebe''
* 1995 – ''Ako zora ne svane''
* 1995 – ''Sve najbolje''
* 2006 – ''Zlatna kolekcija''
* 2008 – ''Dignite čaše svatovi''
* 2015 – ''50 originalnih pjesama''
References
External links
*
*
Krunoslav Kićo Slabinac
1944 births
2020 deaths
Croatian pop singers
20th-century Croatian male singers
Yugoslav male singers
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Yugoslavia
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1971
People from Osijek
21st-century Croatian male singers
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery
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